The Honours System

Nominations

The honours system offers public recognition to people in all walks of life and all sections of society who have given quite exceptional service and made a difference in their community or in the country. There are several different types of award, each one recognising a different type of contribution, for details click here.

The British honours system is one of the oldest in the world. It has evolved over 650 years and today recognises merit, gallantry and service. Honours lists are published twice a year at New Year and in mid-June on the date of The Queen’s official birthday.

Anyone can receive an award if they reach the required standard of merit or service, and honours lists contain a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. Anyone can nominate someone for an award but it is important to note that longevity in a position is not sufficient in itself and that honours are not usually awarded after someone has retired.

Access to the required form and further information can be obtained by clicking here >>

It is important to remember to include all good works performed by the nominee, not just the foremost reason. It is essential to source and submit several strong letters of recommendation from people who know at first-hand about the work which has caused the nomination to be made. The Lord-Lieutenant is involved in the honours process, therefore is unable to act as a referee.
A nomination will take about 18 months to pass through the vetting process from the point it is submitted to the Cabinet Office. The nomination should be kept strictly confidential to avoid disappointment should an application be unsuccessful. A finite number of awards are available for each honours list and therefore nominations are measured against submissions from across the nation. If a nomination proves unsuccessful it is sometimes possible for the Lord-Lieutenant to arrange some other form of recognition as a ‘thank you’ for exceptional service.

Contact details for further information are available on this website – click here

British Empire Medal (BEM)

BEM Investiture

The BEM was reintroduced by the Prime Minister in 2011 and the first awards were announced in the New Year’s Honours List in 2012. It is intended to honour people for local and exceptional work within their communities.

HM The Queen asks the Lord-Lieutenant to make the awards of BEMs within East Sussex.

The Lord-Lieutenant holds two investitures a year, each one following the publication of the Honours List. Recipients receive details of the investiture from the Assistant Clerk to the Lieutenancy as soon as a date is announced, usually within three months of the announcement. Any recipient not able to attend will have their presentation carried forward to the next investiture.

In exceptional circumstances, such as a recipient being house-bound, through ill-health or circumstances which make it impossible for a recipient to attend an investiture, the Assistant Clerk to the Lieutenancy will make alternative arrangements for the presentation to take place privately.

Recipients will automatically be invited to a Royal Garden Party, the year following their award being “gazetted” in the London Gazette.

The Elizabeth Cross

The Elizabeth Cross and Memorial Scroll are granted to the Next of Kin of UK Armed Forces personnel who have died on operations or as a result of an act of terrorism in national recognition of their loss and sacrifice. The Elizabeth Cross is not a posthumous medal for the fallen but an emblem demonstrating tangible national recognition for Service families for their loss.

Not all deaths of Service personnel are included in this scheme. The death of any service person, whatever the circumstances, is a tragic loss to his or her family and to the Armed Forces as a whole, but the Elizabeth Cross was instituted specifically to recognise the unique challenges that service personnel face on operations and from terrorism, and the particular burden this places on Service families.

The first Elizabeth Crosses and Memorial Scrolls were granted on the 1 August 2009 (and will be retrospective to the end of the Second World War). All eligible Next of Kin of those who died between 1 January 1948 to date are strongly advised to apply, although the MOD Medal Office endeavours to establish contact with the more recent eligible families, where up to date contact details are held. Further details and application forms can be seen at:

Applications for a Congratulatory Message from HM The Queen

Birthday Cards

HM Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex with Mr Holdstock for his 100th birthday

Cards from HM The Queen containing a congratulatory message can be sent to individuals celebrating their 100th and 105th birthday and every year thereafter. This card is contained in a special envelope, which is delivered through the normal postal channels.

The delivery of these congratulatory messages is arranged by the Anniversaries Office within the Private Secretary’s Office in the Royal Household located at Buckingham Palace.

In order to request a congratulatory message from Her Majesty The Queen, friends or family must download and complete an application form (click here). Please return it to the Anniversaries Office, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA no sooner than three weeks before the celebration date. It is possible to receive a belated message up to six months after the event. The Anniversaries Office will write to confirm that the application has been received and approved.

If you would like the Lord Lieutenant to personally deliver the message then please contact the Assistant Clerk to the Lieutenancy to make the arrangement. If the Lord Lieutenant is unable, through commitments, to delver the message personally he will arrange for the Vice Lord Lieutenant or one of his Deputy Lieutenants to attend.

Please note that you do need to provide the Anniversaries Office with documentary proof of the occasion – a photocopy of the celebrant’s birth certificate, which will be returned to you in due course. You will receive prompt acknowledgement of your application confirming that a message will be sent and returning all documents to you.

Wedding Anniversaries

To receive a congratulatory message from HM The Queen for Diamond (60th), 65th and Platinum (70th) wedding anniversaries and every year thereafter, it is necessary to complete an application form (click here). Please return it to the Anniversaries Office, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA no sooner than three weeks before the celebration date. It is possible to receive a belated message up to six months after the event.

As with Birthday Cards, if you would like the Lord Lieutenant to personally deliver the greeting please contact the Assistant Clerk to make the arrangements.

Please note that it will be essential for you to provide the Anniversaries Office with documentary proof of the occasion – a good photocopy of the celebrants’ marriage certificate, which will be returned to you. You will receive prompt acknowledgement of your application, confirming that a message will be sent and returning all documents.

If necessary, you can obtain a certified copy of birth or marriage certificates from:

The Lieutenancy in East Sussex

You and your community group, be it association, charity, club or specific interest group can learn all about the Lieutenancy in East Sussex, its history, what it does and what it can do for you. Make contact through Lieutenancy in the Community. You will find the link in this site. Our Deputy Lieutenants are happy to come and give a presentation by arrangement. Topics typically covered are the history of the Lieutenancy, Queen’s Awards, Honours, and community support,

Keep Up To Date

Lord Lieutenant Message

East Sussex is a beautiful County with a rich history. Its citizens are friendly and welcoming, but we do have areas of deprivation and we all need support from time to time. If you live in our County, whether it be in the city and urban environment or in a rural area I would like to urge you to get involved, by volunteering if you can or by taking an active part in whatever way is appropriate for you to enhance both our environment and the lives of those who live in it.